11 cruise ship trips to avoid
You have 8 to 10 hours in port and you will probably never return to that destination. How do you make sure you don’t blow your chances of a great day off by choosing the wrong one? Cruise ships visit the coast?
It’s certainly a daunting task, but a little reading and thought can help you avoid making bad tour choices. Here are some general tips to follow:
Tip 1: Be honest with yourself about the personality and abilities of your travel companion and what they would actually be happy doing.
Tip 2: Don’t feel obligated to join a cruise-sponsored tour. Standalone option usually better.
Tip 3: Read the following list of types of cruise ship shore excursions that aren’t worth your time, money, and the risk of something going wrong mid-cruise.
Panoramic tour
“Panoramic” is representative of a journey where “you’ll see the main sights just from inside the bus.” You may want to admire the church’s historic interior or step outside to take in the sights. However, if you want to spend more time on the ground than inside the coach, avoid any tour that includes “panoramic tours”, “island tours” or “island tours”[destination] by coach” in the title.
Most shore excursion descriptions will tell you how much time you’ll spend at each attraction, so look for those clues to make sure you’re actually experiencing the places you want to see. you want to see.
Note that you should ignore this advice if you have difficulty moving; These tours are a great way to see the top sights without having to worry about navigating cobblestone streets or stairs.
Cruise ships and trams
Unless you’re traveling with Thomas the Tank Engine-obsessed toddlers, please maintain your dignity and avoid the tourist trains and trams that run around tourist attractions. I’m not talking about actual scenic railways; I’m talking about the cutely painted miniature locomotives that pull open-air carriages through the streets of places like the Royal Dockyards in Bermuda, Belize City, and Piraeus, Greece.
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Honestly, it’s embarrassing and you come across as a clueless American tourist. Hop-on, hop-off bus tours are much more popular because of the ease of traveling between major tourist attractions.
Related: Avoid these 10 mistakes when booking a shore excursion
Full day marathon tour
I really want to see the Yukon. However, I had no interest in taking a seven-hour tour that combined a trip on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway into British Columbia, a bus ride to the Yukon border and then another bus ride down the Highway Klondike to return to Skagway. Sitting too much.
I did the marathon tour from Livorno to Florence in Italy and I can assure you that I fell asleep on the return coach every time.
Full-day marathon tours may be the only way to cram everything you want to see into a day in port. However, the breakneck speed may not be a concern, missing dinner on the train and information overload. Even worse, sometimes these long tours require more driving than sightseeing.
For example, Royal CaribbeanThe “Florence and Pisa Grand Tour” features two hours of independent exploration in Florence and one hour in Pisa. However, the tour takes 10 hours. At least three of those hours will be spent traveling, with more time waiting for late tourists and walking from the bus park to the actual attractions.
It’s better to focus your time on one area of your journey. If you want to see more, return to visit the mainland at a more leisurely pace another year.
Related: 9 great travel vacations that combine a cruise and a train trip
Short trips with long distances
Likewise and similar to the Cake song, any tour that spends more time traveling than the actual destination of the tour is probably not the best use of your time. If you’re going somewhere on a day trip, you want it to be worth your while. Otherwise, you may get more value from staying closer to the port to tour, shop, and dine on your own.
Visit the museum
Do you take museum tours while at home? Are not. You just need to go to the museum, you can choose an audio guide and walk around on your own. So, why would you tour a museum on a cruise ship?
Unless you need a tour to get around, skip the overpriced shore tour and hit that favorite museum on your own. You can spend more or less time in the rooms that interest you, and you can ignore large groups gathering around a particular work of art or display. You also don’t have to obediently follow the signing instructions. You can often find audio tours in English if you need more information or can’t read the signs displayed.
Related: Best credit cards for booking cruises
Take a break at the beach
Do you want to go to the beach? Catch a taxi and go to the beach. Locals know that cruisers like to get to the beach, and you’ll find shuttles, streetcars, and vans waiting to take you to the beach and back. You don’t need a tour to get there.
Similarly, if you want to spend the day at a local resort, using the beach, swimming pool and its amenities, you can often find cheaper options if you book directly through the accommodation. stay instead of going through the ship’s shore tour desk. Just check to see if transport is included and factor in taxi prices if not.
Related: The best Caribbean cruises
Shopping tour
The same thinking applies to shopping tours. If you want to go shopping, all you need to do is step off the cruise ship. If there aren’t many souvenir and jewelry shops right at the port, you’ll be able to find plenty in town. It’s rare that a shopping excursion takes you to secret or special local galleries where you can find amazing works of art or breathtaking items.
Are you a shopaholic or a connoisseur of a particular product? It’s best to do your research in advance, find the stores or galleries you want to visit, and take a taxi or hire a private tour guide to take you to the stores you’re most interested in seeing.
Drinking cruise
I’m a huge fan of catamaran sails – head out to sea to feel the breeze in my hair and watch the scenery go by, maybe spend some time snorkeling or going to the beach. However, I avoid any shore excursion labeled “party cruise” or “open bar” like the plague.
If you choose a tour because you want to snorkel or watch the sunset over the water, know that someone on the boat will inevitably overindulge, become belligerent, or end up throwing up because they don’t know when to stop. free rum.
Are you looking for a party? There it is. Just be careful because those fruit drinks are stronger than they taste; The combination of heat, alcohol and sugar makes for a wild time with some consequences. Do you really want to miss your next port of call or nightlife experience because you’re too tired from your tour?
Related: How to get free or cheap drinks on a cruise ship
Take a glass bottom boat ride
I admit – I had an amazing semi-submersible cruise in Maui where we really saw incredible marine life. All the glass bottom boat trips and other “submarine” tours I’ve taken have been murky and unimpressive.
Unless you’re claustrophobic, you shouldn’t try it, but your chances of having a great underwater experience on one of these tours are slim. If you can’t snorkel or scuba dive, you can try your luck with a land tour.
The tour involves abused animals
You may have a life goal of swimming with dolphins or riding elephants, but please don’t support any organization that doesn’t treat their animals well. If you cannot verify that the animals are being properly cared for, avoid shore excursions that expose you to captive wild animals.
Instead, choose tours that allow you to see wildlife, such as whale watching Hawaii toursbear watching cruise in Alaska or go hiking or boating through the jungle, where you might spot birds or monkeys in the trees.
Any tour you are not suitable for
Haven’t ridden a bike in many years? Now is not the time to book a bike tour through Valencia, Spain or speed 25 miles down the Haleakala volcano in Maui. Have mobility problems? A walk through the cobbled old town is not for you. Afraid of heights? Whatever you do, don’t pull the rope.
The person you aspire to be (or the fit young man you once were) won’t be on the tour – it’s just you at your current level of health and fitness. Avoid any shore excursions that you can’t take and you’ll be much happier spending your time in port than at the local hospital.
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